Have you ever listened to someone else speaking about themselves and had one of those ‘If they can do that, so can I’ thoughts? I often hear people say, ‘I wish I could do so-and-so.’ And for me this kind of statement is like the red rag and the bull. With all the ‘stuff’ that challenged me in the past (divorce, abuse, finances, self-esteem and lack of confidence) I know better than most that you can have nothing and create a worthwhile, dreamy and very holistic lifestyle. In fact, I’d go as far to say my life has become a bit of an experiment – and a personal quest – to see how much I can overcome, grow, enjoy and share what I’ve learned so others can benefit. When I hear people make ‘I wish’ statements, My usual response is now a kind of: ‘Then why don’t you?’ reply. But what am I doing when I ask this question? Echart Tolle says, ‘When pain is put close to radiant consciousness it is transformed like wood on a fire.’ In other words, when someone is struggling to get their dream out – when it’s choking and trying to wriggle its way out, through the barriers and the reasons and the excuses, all I’m doing is chucking a log onto the fire, in the hope it burns later. Call it alchemy is you like. The question, ‘What stops you?’ is a meltdown question. And from all that melted lead that slops up from inside, can eventually, turn to gold. One of the things I’ve been doing over the last five years is to take the heartache of what I went through as a victim of domestic violence and using it positively to transform my life and those who I come into contact with. When a woman was screaming at her child in the street, I understood from my years of abuse the damage this would do to the child. I didn’t judge the screaming parent, but just offered her my help while she brought herself back to center. That simple gesture was enough to transform the lead of the situation into gold. It turned the shouting into a slightly embarrassed smile and a thank you – which amounted to an acknowledgment of showing kindness in a moment of need. A few years ago I was broke and in some pain from being financially crippled. I created the resources to change that and now teach a number of clients how to get themselves back on track – sometimes saving my fees several times over in a very short space of time. If money is troubling you, a good, low cost way to start is my e-book, Getting in the Flow of Money – Immediately. It’s straight talking, simple and gives you an exercise we all should do, but probably don’t. It’s true that no one goes from A-Z in a flash. You don’t go from being beaten and shouted at to suddenly being aware and caring of others. There is a journey and a process to go through. And rest assured I’m not telling you these stories to impress you with how ‘Good I think I’ve got’. I’m sharing them with you as someone that know what it’s like to have had masses of pain and troubles and has (and is still) learning to enjoy life more with every breath. I’m going to be covering this subject of lighting your fire, meltdown and creating gold in two talks I’m giving called Turning Inspiration into Reality – click here to book tickets. To be honest, I’m relishing the prospect of giving these talks. I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with you, because I know how you can manifest your inspiration dreams and wishes. Turning your wish (inspiration) into reality is about process. Here’s an outline: 1. Know what you want 2. Create a plan 3. Work on the plan everyday, even for just five minutes 4. See what’s working. Notice what’s not. 5. Change what’s not working. 6. Keep changing what’s not working until you get what you want Enjoy today’s exercise. With Love and good wishes Neil